This year after Thanksgiving dinner, my friends and I were enjoying our coffee when the topic predictably turned to Black Friday. They were planning on getting up at five o’clock in the morning in order to get a $20 discount along with a few other bargains! I considered standing in line to get in, and standing in line to get out (which is always worse), and I figured I would essentially be working for $10 an hour to get that discount. That’s lower than minimum wage in some states, so I declined to join them.
Meanwhile, online sales broke records:
- Online Black Friday sales topped $5.03 billion
That number is impressive, and I’m truly grateful that our country’s economy is booming — and I will do my part to contribute to it — but I want to buy experiences, not things.
On Black Friday I spent the day at the movies and I have no clutter to show for it.
On Saturday I took my kids and grandchildren to see The Gazillion Bubbles Show. It’s a kaleidoscope of all things bubble, with lots of audience participation in the form of a gazillion and a half bubbles or more. It was phenomenal, the kids loved it, and I loved it.
After the show we went out to eat at a bustling restaurant. It was loud, but we had a wonderful time. It felt like another Thanksgiving, and I was grateful all over again.
Those are the types of things I want to spend money on: dinners out with friends and family; going to the theater and the theatre; concerts; spa experiences; travel; charitable contributions — things that come wrapped in thoughtfulness instead of plastic.
Full disclosure: On Cyber Monday I ordered paper clips for my business.
What was your best experience in 2017?
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